The Simpsons vs. Arthur

The Simpsons vs. Arthur is a story by Owennumberonefan, featuring a Crossover between The Simpsons & Arthur. A new nuclear power plant is built in Elwood City and Homer is chosen to head it up, so the the family moves there; Hilarity Ensues. Most of the story deals with the Simpson family's reaction to new neighbors who happen to look like humanoid animals while the people of Elwood City (specifically, the Read family) deal with the crudeness of their new neighbors. Along the way, Lisa befriends her new classmates and discovers a secret about the plant.

Due to its' popularity, the author followed it up with The Simpsons Trial and Tribulations, which takes place 5 years in the future. This time, the cast of Arthur visits Springfield, freaking out the residents and running afoul of The Mafia.

Tropes used in The Simpsons vs. Arthur include:

• Animation Age Ghetto: Bart mocks Arthur for his show being this in one of the post-chapter segments, mentioning that it's childish and lame.
• Author Appeal: Sue Ellen & Lisa being tied up in the power plantis absolutely not because of this.
• Big No: Homer is mentioned as giving one, after finding out there are no bars in Elwood City.
• Bound and Gagged: Lisa & Sue Ellen end up tied up near the end of the story.
• Breaking the Fourth Wall: Every chapter ends with Bart & Arthur having a conversation about something, then telling the audience to "read & review."
  • Also, Arthur addresses the readers at the beginning, before Bart interrupts him.
• Brick Joke: Lisa worries about inviting Sue Ellen over to her house, and imagines Homer giving her a ball of yarn to play with, and commenting "she thinks she's people!" Later after Homer rescues both girls from the power plant Sue Ellen says she'll do anything to thank him; Homer promptly gives her a ball of yarn, which she kicks around like a soccer ball, causing him to reply with the above quote.
• Cannot Spit It Out: Sue Ellen is like this in regard to her feelings for Arthur. she gets better however, by the end.
• Cats Are Mean: Pal of course thinks this, so he's a bit shocked upon meeting Snowball II.
• Continuity Nod: The story is obviously set after The Simpsons movie, with Lisa mentioning leaving Colin behind, Santa's Little Helper referencing the disappearance of Plopper, and Bart mentioning having a dome put over the town. This comes more into play in the sequel (see below).
• Despair Event Horizon: Sue Ellen has one after Mr. Burns leaves her and Lisa tied up in the power plant.
• Fake Brit: In an attempt to not embarrass Lisa with his actions, Homer affects a British accent when he meets Sue Ellen. Unfortunately, this only embarrasses Lisa further.

Sue Ellen: I didn't know your dad was British.
Lisa: (snidely) He's not.

• Improbable Species Compatibility: After the barflys discuss the possible origins of the Elwood City denizens, Moe says he wouldn't mind having sex with a rabbit woman, "because, you know."
• Imagine Spot: Though a staple of Arthur, actually used by Lisa when worrying what would happen if she invited Sue Ellen over.
• Insane Troll Logic: When telling Homer to be on his best behavior when Sue Ellen comes over, Marge says he shouldn't mention any of his "theories."

"You mean like the one about how al-Queda was responsible for The Sopranos finale?"

• Karma Houdini: Burns gets away with his plan basically destroying Elwood City with a nuclear explosion by blaming the whole idea on Sen. Larry Craig ^[1]
• Lampshade Hanging: Lots, especially from the Simpsons crew regarding the people of Elwood City.
  • Another example is when Lisa & Sue Ellen check out the Elwood nuclear plant, and the guard lets them pass without any ID or anything.
• Last-Second Word Swap: Sue Ellen does this when she and Lisa are tied up in the power plant after learning Mr. Burns' scheme.:

"You're lucky, you've had several boyfriends. I've never even kissed Ar...any boy."

• Nightmare Fuel: Itchy & Scratchy is this for D.W.
• Obligatory Swearing: Bart, natch
• Oh Crap: Bart's reaction when Sue Ellen, in one of the after chapter segments, tired of his constant comments, reminds him that she knows karate.
• Pettanko: In one of the post-chapter segments, Bart mocks Sue Ellen for this, saying she's "flatter than the American Midwest." This leads to the beatdown, mentioned above.
• Running Gag: Buster thinking the Simpson kids (specifically, Bart) are aliens.
• Specifically Suspicious Denial: When asked about his job at the plant, Homer mentions about how he can do whatever he wants, including nap all day and eat doughnuts. After realizing that he said that to the Read family, he quickly adds "uh, not that I do that, of course."
• Suspiciously Similar Substitute: One of the first things Bart does upon coming to Lakewood Elementary is try to find a "new Milhouse"; he ends up picking George.
  • Also, the Simpson house in Elwood City is an exact replica of their old one from Springfield (except with no beer in the fridge, as Homer finds out).
• Totally Radical: In one of the post-chapter segments, Arthur tries to use some incredibly lame slang to prove to Bart that he's cool.

Bart: Never do that again.

• We're Still Relevant, Dammit!: There are a number of references in the story that are out of date now, like Rosie O'Donnell, Blackwater, and Senator Larry Craig.
  • Also, Krusty making a joke about OJ on his show. The kids' reaction is what you'd expect.
• What an Idiot!: Sue Ellen's response upon learning that Mr. Burns plans to let the power plant meltdown and destroy Elwood City is to storm into his office and confront him, rather than contact the authorities.
• Why Don't You Just Shoot Him?: Smithers asks Mr. Burns a question similar to this after he ties up Lisa & Sue Ellen in the power plant. Burns says he doesn't like to do major acts of evil until after supper.
• Xanatos Gambit: Burns' scheme; building a power plant in an out-of-the-way burg like Elwood City, cutting costs on construction to pocket the money for himself, then hiring an idiot (i.e. Homer) to run it, so when it blows up, he'll be blamed.

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The sequel contains examples of:

• Author Appeal: The whole scene in the Legitimate Businessman's Social Club with the tied up Lindsay Naegle & Cookie Kwan serves no purpose other than this.
• Bound and Gagged: The aforementioned Lindsay & Cookie end up tied up by Fat Tony and his crew as part of his latest scheme.
• Breaking the Fourth Wall: Arthur & Bart once again address the audience at the end of every chapter, save the last one.
• Call Back: At the end of the previous story, Lisa & Sue Ellen promise to keep in touch by mail. At the beginning of this one, Sue Ellen tells Arthur about the message she got from Lisa, and Arthur asks if they still keep in touch. (They do, but by e-mail now, as Homer complained about the high price of stamps).
  • Also, on the way to Springfield, Sue Ellen tells the others not to ask Colin if his dad is Bono. Buster then wonders if they can ask if his dad is Angus Young.
• Continuity Nod: When Arthur & crew meet the older Maggie, she doesn't remember much about Elwood City except "talking to some baby."
• Crack Pairing: Lisa's friend Alison is revealed to be dating Martin Prince.
• Dude, Not Funny: Sideshow Mel tells Krusty that his making a joke about Nick Jonas' diabetes is why the Jonas Brothers no longer want to appear on his show.
• Flat Character: Lampshaded with Lewis, where Bart explains he's been trying out different personality types, since he doesn't really have one (that week, he's a rapper).
• Lampshade Hanging: It wouldn't be The Simpsons without it.
• Plot Hole: At the Simpsons home, Francine complains about having to sleep in the basement with Plopper, despite the previous story establishing that the Simpsons no longer had him anymore. Word of God is that the author didn't notice this until someone pointed it out to him in a review, and he didn't feel like fixing it.
• Plot-Relevant Age-Up: This story takes place five years after the original, so all the kids are teenagers now.
• Take That: Against VH-1 and their habit of giving every washed-up celebrity a reality show.
  • The Springfield mafia claim they're the reason behind the success of Taylor Swift.
• What The Hell Bart?: Lisa asks this after Bart lets the Springfield Mafia keep the Elwood city kids in exchange for letting him and Lisa go. Turns out it was all part of Bart's plan to rescue them.

1. ↑ for those of you who don't remember, he was a Senator who got in legal trouble for supposedly asking for gay sex in a men's bathroom. apparently, Burns figured with his current legal woes, people would be willing to blame this on him too